The present invention relates to a reproduction method and a device to carry out reproduction based on a reproduction list for reproducing a plurality of main data recorded on an insertable recording medium in the desired sequence specified by the user, and also for user to select a reproduction list for use from a plurality of reproduction lists based on the reproduction list table for managing the plurality of reproduction lists, and further relates to an editing method and an editing device to generate the reproduction list and the reproduction list table.
In recent years compact recording mediums are being developed, incorporating fixed memory elements such as flash memories, and mounted into dedicated drives, or drive devices in audio/video equipment, information equipment, for the storage of computer data, still image data, moving image data, music data, and audio data, etc.
On the other hand, media has spread in the conventional art such as compact disks (CD) and minidisks (MD) {trademark} for storing music data that make recording and reproduction possible by using CD player and MD recorder/players.
However, in systems that for instance utilize compact discs (CD) and minidiscs (MD) [trademark], the music data for one song is recorded as one track. Management information referred to as TOC (Table of Contents) is also recorded on that media so that each track is managed so as to be sequentially reproduced in a specified order.
A track number is typically assigned to each track and the TOC manages the address of the recording position at each track number. In the reproduction device (player), each track number is reproduced in the track number sequence by referring to the TOC.
The user however may enjoy reproduction of the music or other information not only by reproduction of all tracks in the track number sequence but also by tracks preferred by the user, for instance by reproduction of all or a portion of the tracks in a preferred sequence. In order to meet demands for reproduction of tracks in a user-preferred sequence, in the related art, functions referred to as Program Playback and Track Move were added to CD players and MD players.
In the Program Playback function, the user specifies a desired sequence of songs recorded on the tracks on for instance the CD or MD recording medium loaded in the reproduction device, and reproduction is performed in the song sequence as specified by the user.
In the Track Move Function implemented in an MD system, the track numbers themselves are changed or in other words, interchanged in the TOC recorded in the MD. When, for instance, five tracks are recorded on the tracks from track #1 through track #5, and the user wants to hear the fifth song of track #5 as the first song, then that fifth song is changed to track #1 or in other words changed to become the first song, by rewriting the TOC data. The user can then enjoy reproduction of the music in the desired song sequence even during reproduction in the track number sequence, by interchanging the track number itself.
However, in the system of the related art, setting a desired song sequence is not easy on the respective recording mediums and also during reproduction.
When using the Program Playback function for instance, the song sequence specified by the user is stored in the memory within that reproduction device (player) and reproduction is performed based on that stored song sequence. However, after Program Playback, the stored content, in other words, the stored song sequence is not retained after the power is turned off or after the disk is ejected. If the disk is replaced with another disk, the song sequence that was specified prior to insertion of the new disk is of course, not usable.
Accordingly, when using the Program Playback function, the user must perform the operation to specify the desired song sequence each time reproduction is to be performed.
Restated, Program Playback is not a satisfactory function when the user want to reproduce even for just one time, a song sequence that is different from the usual song sequence.
When using the Track Move function on the other hand, once Track Move is performed, that status, or in other words, the status where the track numbers are changed is retained in the TOC so that the now altered song sequence will afterwards always be reproduced in that same sequence. This situation is fine when the user wants to reproduce all future songs in this new song sequence but the Track Move function is not satisfactory when the user wants to reproduce a different song sequence even just one time.
Therefore, even though the Program Playback and Track Move functions each have their respective advantages, these functions cannot set many, diverse song sequences on respective recording medium each recorded with different songs, etc. Further, these functions do not allow the desired song sequence to easily be selected each time reproduction is performed.
In view of the above problems with the related art, the present invention has the object of providing a reproduction method to reproduce the main reproduction data in a desired reproduction sequence from a recording medium having a record region recorded with a plurality of main data, a first management region to manage the recording position of the main data, and a second management region recorded with a playlist to manage the reproduction sequence of the main data, wherein the reproduction method comprises a step to retrieve whether a playlist for reproduction of the main data in the desired sequence is recorded or not on the second management region on the recording medium; and a step to readout and reproduce the main data from the record area based on the first management region, in the reproduction sequence according to the retrieved playlist when as a result of the above retrieving.step, the playlist is retrieved in the second management region.
The present invention has the further object of providing an editing method to edit a playlist for reproducing the main data in the desired reproduction sequence from a recording medium having a record region recorded with a plurality of main data, a first management region to manage the recording position of the main data, and a second management region for managing the reproduction sequence of the main data, wherein the editing method comprises a step to display information relating to the main data recorded on the management region based on the first management region; a step to sequentially select the main data registered on said playlist from the displayed information according to the user operation; and a step to register the selected main data, the information related to the first management region, and the reproduction sequence of the main data, in the related playlist of the second management region.
The present invention has the still further object of providing a reproduction device for reproduction of main data in a desired sequence from a recording medium having a record region recorded with a plurality of main data, a first management region to manage the recording position of the main data, and a second management region for managing the reproduction sequence of the main data, wherein the reproduction device comprises a reproduction means for reproducing the main data from the record region; retrieving means for retrieve whether or not a playlist is recorded on the second management region for reproduction of the main data in the desired sequence; first acquisition means for acquiring a playlist from the second management region; second acquisition means for acquiring the record position of the main data from the first management region; and control means for acquiring the playlist retrieved by the first acquisition means when the playlist was retrieved in the second management region by retrieving in the above retrieving means, acquiring the record position of the main data reproduced in sequence by the second acquisition means based on the playlist, and reproduce,the main data with the reproduction means based on the acquired main data recording position.
The present invention has the yet further object of providing an editing device to edit the playlist for reproduction of data in a desired reproduction sequence from a recording medium having a record region recorded with a plurality of main data, a first management region to manage the recording position of the main data, and a second management region for managing the reproduction sequence of the main data, wherein the editing device comprises display means for displaying information related to the main data recorded in the record region based on the first management region; operating means for the user to select the main data registered in the prelist from among the displayed information; write means for writing the edited playlist onto the recording medium; and control means for displaying with the display means, information related to the main data recorded on the record region based on said first management region, obtaining by the operating means the instructions selected for the main data selected by the user from information relating to data displayed with the display means, sequentially recording on the related playlist the data selected by the user with information relating to the first management region and the reproduction sequence of the main data, and recording the playlist in the second management region of the recording medium by use of said write means.